At Attentionby Annabeth Albert | Out of Uniform #2 Military/Contemporary Romance, LGBTQIA Publishing on April 10th, 2017 ARC from Netgalley

Book Blurb:

Lieutenant Apollo Floros can ace tactical training missions, but being a single dad to his twin daughters is more than he can handle. He needs live-in help, and he’s lucky a friend’s younger brother needs a place to stay. He’s surprised to see Dylan all grown up with a college degree…and a college athlete’s body. Apollo’s widowed heart may still be broken, but Dylan has his blood heating up.

It’s been eight years since the teenage Dylan followed Apollo around like a lovesick puppy, and it’s time he showed Lieutenant Hard-to-Please that he’s all man now—an adult who’s fully capable of choosing responsibility over lust. He can handle Apollo’s muscular sex appeal, but Apollo the caring father? Dylan can’t afford to fall for that guy. He’s determined to hold out for someone who’s able to love him back, not someone who only sees him as a kid brother.

Apollo is shocked by the intensity of his attraction to Dylan. Maybe some no-strings summer fun will bring this former SEAL back to life. But the combination of scorching desire and warm affection is more than he’d expected, and the emotion between them scares him senseless. No fling lasts forever, and Apollo will need to decide what’s more important—his past or his future—if he wants to keep Dylan in his life.

| Book Review |

I don’t know what it is, but there’s something so satisfying about a secret crush turned TLA story. At Attention was a fun read with a lot of depth and heat, and it kicks off with one hell of a meet/cute. Dylan has always had a crush on Apollo, his older brother’s best friend (one of my most favorite tropes of all time,) and the stories of him as a geeky not-quite-into his-own boy tagging along were absolutely adorable. Apollo has never entertained the idea of anything with Dylan, but that was before the hotness (and, of course, legal age) kicked in and Dylan matured. It’s obvious from the very beginning of this story that Apollo’s grief at the loss of his husband is still fresh. The way Dylan was with him, so patient, kind, and encouraging, really helping Apollo along with baby steps was so wonderful. I loved Dylan. Apollo, while I hurt for him, was much harder to get to know. Even with his POV, he was very reserved. I was glad he had so many friends. And even if he couldn’t bring himself to share his feelings with them, he could have little slices of enjoyment and happiness when he spent time with them. In a story where there are kids involved, it’s easy for them to overtake the plot, but I didn’t feel that was the case here. Apollo’s life obviously revolved around his children, and so did Dylan’s to a degree, as he was their babysitter, but there was plenty of Dylan/Apollo time and opportunity for their feelings to grow and to have steamy time together. And again, with Dylan, I adored his commitment to Apollo’s girls and dropping everything when they needed him. Dylan and Apollo had a sexy relationship, and the age gap and Dylan’s years of longing added to that.

I think it’s clear that I was drawn to Dylan’s character more than Apollo’s, but I did like them both. Apollo had a lot of feelings to come to grips with, and his journey was very emotional. Overall I really enjoyed their story, and if you’re a fan of Annabeth Albert, you’re going to love this one!

Thank you, Grace. This is such a wonderful series. I love this author’s characterization so much. Sorry you can’t get them when you want, but I love knowing there’s a wait for them! Word is getting out about how great she is. 🙂

There was something in particular about this cover that I loved a lot. I’m not sure if it’s the coloring, or what, but it really draws me in. If I had read the others in the series, I might have requested it.

It’s really hard to compare to HIM, because Apollo is at such a different place in life than Wes and Jamie were. I think this one was more intense and there were deeper issues going on, but I think you’d enjoy it.